Mailing Address: PO Box * Point Breeze Station Philadelphia PA

Transcription

1 Assumption of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church 2101 South 28th St. (corner of 28 th St. & Snyder Ave.) Philadelphia, PA * Church Phone: (215) Website: Mailing Address: PO Box * Point Breeze Station Philadelphia PA Sunday, May 6, 2018 Fifth Sunday of Pascha Tone 4 The Samaritan Woman The Righteous Job the Long-suffering CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! V. Rev. Mark W Koczak, Rector 615 West 11 th Street New Castle, DE Phone: Home: Mobile: mwkoczak@gmail.com Parish President - Matthew Andrews Phone: (856) Weekly Schedule Today: Blessing of Graves at Mount Moriah Cemetery at 1PM! (For those that stay at the cemetery after the grave blessing, a common picnic will be held near the Spack family gravesite) (Weather Permitting!!!) FYI-Broad Street Run is also on this Sunday. Plan accordingly!] Monday: Tuesday: Tuesday: Friday: Repose of St. Alexis Toth Bible Study at 6:30PM in church basement! Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian Saints Cyril and Methodius - First Teachers of the Slavs Saturday: May 12 Great Vespers at 5:00PM! Sunday: May 13 6 th Sunday of Pascha! Blind Man Reading of Hours 9:30am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Fellowship & coffee hour to follow the Divine Liturgy 1

2 Texts for the Liturgical Service Troparion (Tone 4) When the women disciples of the Lord / learned from the angel the joyous message of thy Resurrection, / they cast away the ancestral curse / and elatedly told the apostles: / Death is overthrown! / Christ God is risen, // granting the world great mercy! Troparion (Tone 8 - Midfeast) In the middle of the feast, O Savior, / fill my thirsting soul with the waters of piety, / as Thou didst cry to all: If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink! // O Christ God, Fountain of our life, glory to Thee! Kontakion (Tone 8 - Pentecostarion) The Samaritan Woman came to the well in faith; / she saw Thee, the Water of wisdom and drank abundantly. // She inherited the Kingdom on high, and is ever glorified! Kontakion (Tone 4 - Midfeast) Christ God, the Creator and Master of all, / cried to all in the midst of the feast of the Law: / Come and draw the water of immortality! / We fall before Thee and faithfully cry: // Grant us Thy mercies, for Thou art the Fountain of our life! Prokeimenon (Tone 3) Sing praises to our God, sing praises! / Sing praises to our King, sing praises! v. Clap thy hands, all ye people, shout to God with loud songs of joy! Epistle Reading: Acts 11:19-26,29-30 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. Alleluia (3x s) (Tone 4) 2

3 v. Go forth, prosper and reign, for the sake of meekness, righteousness and truth! Alleluia (3x s) v. For Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest iniquity. Alleluia (3x s) Gospel Reading: John 4:5-42 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give Me a drink. For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. The woman said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock? Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw. Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly. The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am He. And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, What do You seek? or, Why are You talking with her? The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ? Then they went out of the city and came to Him. In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, Rabbi, eat. But He said to them, I have food to eat of which you do not know. Therefore the disciples said to one another, Has anyone brought Him anything to eat? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: One sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, He told me all that I ever did. So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. Communion Hymn: Receive the Body of Christ, taste the foundation of immortality! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him in the highest! Alleluia (3x s) 3

4 Announcements A Warm Welcome to all of our visitors & guests who worshiped with us today and who have joined us in celebrating the Divine Liturgy. Please join us in the church basement for our Fellowship and Coffee Hour. WELCOME BACK FR. MARK AND MAT. JAN FROM GEORGIA!!! ***************************************************************************************************** The 114 th Annual Memorial Day Pilgrimage to St Tikhon s Monastery is scheduled for May 25 through May 28, 2018 (Pentecost Weekend). Once again, Pilgrims will be especially graced by the presense of the Myrrhstreaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon of the Mother of God and by the participation and presence of numberous hierarchs, clergy, faithful, and friends from the Orthodox Church in America and other Orthodox jurisdictions from America and beyond. Pilgrimage information and schedule for the weekend events are posted on the bulletin board in the vestibule area. ******************************************************************************************* IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT ST TIKHON S SUMMER CAMP! Saint Tikhon s Summer Camp has been cancelled for 2018 due to a volunteer shortage. The administrators will miss the kids very much this summer, but they are looking forward to reopening the summer camp program in 2019 with all of the support required! If any parents have any questions or concerns regarding the cancellation of this year s summer camp, you may call or the camp at info@sttikhonscamp.org ******************************************************************************************* Please me mindful that when you discard a styrofoam cup, a plastic bottle, or an aluminum can which still has liquid in it, the liquid eventually end up at the bottom of the trash or recycling bag. When these bags are taken outside for pick up, the liquid leaks from the bag onto the carpets in the church basement. Please, before throwing out any of these containers, empty the liquid out first in the bathroom sinks. Thank you for your understanding! 4

5 Announcements (cont.) Candles and Prayers for the Faithful and Departed Health for the Living: Ronald Kavalkovich offered by Pellack Family Family and Parishioners offered by Nina Patterson Joseph Herbert offered by M/M Herbert Brendan Herbert offered by M/M Herbert Sandra Hourahan offered by M/M Herbert May God Grant Them Many Blessed Years! Memory for the Departed: Mary and Paul Koran offered by Pellack Family Helen Orstorsky offered by M/M Herbert May Their Memories Be Eternal #################################################### Please remember in your prayers: Grace Corba; Ronald Kavalkovich (on his continuous recovery); Margaret Pellack; Helen Wanenchak; Father Vincent Saverino (retired); Father John Bohush (retired); and all those who are serving in our Armed Forces! #################################################### Father Mark will be in contact with the parents of the children who attend the parish s Saturday Sunday school program to discuss when the next Saturday for available for classes to resume. Thank you! Please ensure that your Mobile Phone is set to Silent (or at least set on vibrate) during the Divine Liturgy! Thank You!!! 5

6 Announcements (cont.) Coffee Hour / Cleaning and Epistle / Hours Reading Schedule. We now have an established full rotating schedule for the Coffee Hour & Cleaning, and the Hours & Epistle Readings. The Reading schedule sheets will be posted quarterly on the bulletin board in the church basement. The Coffee Hour/Cleaning schedule is in a binder located on the display case. Special weekly collections taken after Gospel or Sermon. In addition to our general collection, the parish takes a special collection each week to fund certain parish projects. Please be generous with your offering. Every little bit counts. The special collections are as follows: First Sunday of every month Kitchen Fund Project Second Sunday of every month Icon Fund ( ) Third Sunday of every month - Restoration/Maintenance Fund Fourth Sunday of every month Charity Giving Note: if there is a Fifth Sunday during a month, the special collection is earmarked for the Kitchen Fund Project, unless otherwise noted and stated by the Parish Council. Shop Rite Gift Cards: If you need to purchase Shop Rite Gift Cards, please see David Pellack to secure them. Your purchase of a Shop Rite Gift Card is an additional fundraising project that helps support the church at no additional expense to the purchaser. 6

7 Calendar of Events 1 st Sunday of each month Monthly Panikhida immediately after Divine Liturgy. 2 nd Tuesday of each month Bible Study at 6:30pm in church basement. 2 nd Sunday of each month Property Committee Meeting after Divine Liturgy. 3 rd Sunday of each month Currently no permanent event is scheduled. 4 th Sunday of each month Church Life Discussion Class after Divine Liturgy. Today, May 6 Blessing of Graves [Rescheduled from Saint Thomas Sunday due to Inclement Weather] If the weather cooperates with us, we will have our annual Blessing of the Graves at Mount Moriah Cemetery around 1pm. For those that stay at the cemetery after the grave blessing, a common picnic will be held near the Spack (Onufer & Julia) family gravesite. Please bring your favorite foods, beverages, and lawn chairs. Please dress appropriately for that day s weather (jackets, windbreakers, hats, sunscreen, etc ). [FYI The Broad Street Run is also on this same Sunday. Plan accordingly!] Bible Study Tuesday, May 8 at 6:30pm in the church basement. The Bible Study Group will gather together at this time and will continue the readings and discussing the Book of Deuteronomy. May 20 - Church Life Discussion class after Divine Liturgy and Fellowship Hour. (The 3 rd 4 th Sunday of the month) The Topic Icons, Iconography, and Iconostas. It s history and the stories displayed on them. NOTE the change in date due to Pentecost on May 27! Annual Pentecost (Pascha) Dinner Sunday, MAY 27 after Vespers in the church basement. The parish will hold its annual Pentecost Dinner with Pascha food. If you wish to bring or donate Pascha food, beverages, or kitchen supplies, please see Catherine Kavalkovich to discuss what items the parish will need for our dinner. The dinner will be a free will offering and any monetary donations towards the dinner are always appreciated! Thank You! 7

8 Sunday of the Samaritan Woman [May 6 th ] The Holy Martyr Photina (Svetlana) the Samaritan Woman, her sons Victor (named Photinus) and Joses; and her sisters Anatola, Phota, Photis, Paraskeva, Kyriake; Nero s daughter Domnina; and the Martyr Sebastian: The holy Martyr Photina was the Samaritan Woman, with whom the Savior conversed at Jacob s Well (John. 4:5-42). During the time of the emperor Nero (54-68), who displayed excessive cruelty against Christians, St Photina lived in Carthage with her younger son Jeses and fearlessly preached the Gospel there. Her eldest son Victor fought bravely in the Roman army against barbarians, and was appointed military commander in the city of Attalia (Asia Minor). Later, Nero called him to Italy to arrest and punish Christians. Sebastian, an official in Italy, said to St Victor, I know that you, your mother and your brother, are followers of Christ. As a friend I advise you to submit to the will of the emperor. If you inform on any Christians, you will receive their wealth. I shall write to your mother and brother, asking them not to preach Christ in public. Let them practice their faith in secret. St Victor replied, I want to be a preacher of Christianity like my mother and brother. Sebastian said, O Victor, we all know what woes await you, your mother and brother. Then Sebastian suddenly felt a sharp pain in his eyes. He was dumbfounded, and his face was somber. For three days he lay there blind, without uttering a word. On the fourth day he declared, The God of the Christians is the only true God. St Victor asked why Sebastian had suddenly changed his mind. Sebastian replied, Because Christ is calling me. Soon he was baptized, and immediately regained his sight. St Sebastian s servants, after witnessing the miracle, were also baptized. Reports of this reached Nero, and he commanded that the Christians be brought to him at Rome. Then the Lord Himself appeared to the confessors and said, Fear not, for I am with you. Nero, and all who serve him, will be vanquished. The Lord said to St Victor, From this day forward, your name will be Photinus, because through you, many will be enlightened and will believe in Me. The Lord then told the Christians to strengthen and encourage St Sebastian to peresevere until the end. All these things, and even future events, were revealed to St Photina. She left Carthage in the company of several Christians and joined the confessors in Rome. At Rome the emperor ordered the saints to be brought before him and he asked them whether they truly believed in Christ. All the confessors refused to renounce the Savior. Then the emperor gave orders to smash the martyrs finger joints. During the torments, the confessors felt no pain, and their hands remained unharmed. Nero ordered that Sts Sebastian, Photinus and Joses be blinded and locked up in prison, and St Photina and her five sisters Anatola, Phota, Photis, Paraskeva and Kyriake were sent to the imperial court under the supervision of Nero s daughter Domnina. St Photina converted both Domnina and all her servants to Christ. She also converted a sorcerer, who had brought her poisoned food to kill her. [Due to length of article, the above is just an excerpt of the life of the Samaritan Woman] 8